October 8, 2010

We live in a fairly rural area --- no sidewalks, curbside mailboxes and lots of trees. Deer graze lawns when they are not darting in front of cars, testing our alertness. There is one house at the end of the block where deer congregate on a regular basis; I think they are gossiping about us humans. This time of year animals are known to sneak inside to escape the chill that is building in the air. My husband regularly calls out, “Close the door.” The other morning I came down the back staircase and saw something small frantically darting around the back hallway. The door was ajar, as was the garage door as my husband was doing the morning hunting and gathering of the newspaper. So much for “close the door.”

I, who am not into wildlife in the house, tried to guess what it was. Mouse? Chipmunk? It did not look like either. My husband nonchalantly waltzed back into the house as I was melting down and shrieking, and he calmly said “It’s a baby squirrel” in a tone I would reserve for something like “It’s a Labrador” or “It’s a Siamese.” In my long list of things I do around the house, "removing wildlife” does not enter into the conversation. Thus, Tom cornered Baby Rocket “Rocky” J. Squirrel in the powder room while he prepared his evacuation procedure. I left the house not wanting to know more except that Rocky was back in the wild of the yard. I learned later that when Tom opened the powder room door, he found our little home invader swimming in the toilet. A quick rescue with a broom and a ride out the door ended this drama. He said Rocky was swimming very well; I think he’s been watching me in the pool for tips. For the rest of the week, I have been vigilant about all open doors, trying to ensure no repeat visitors.

Moving onto bookish conversation, I’m very happy to share that Tom Franklin’s CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER is my latest Bets On pick. I read it on vacation and instantly knew this was a pick. This book has strong, well-crafted characters who are buried in secrets with tension building on every side. Franklin draws you in and makes you care about their stories, carefully crafting the plot so it becomes one addictive read as the tale twists and turns. The rich descriptions of setting and place coupled with an honest and well-drawn story make this a book you will both savor and remember. We also have a review of CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER from Joe Hartlaub, who says, “This is a work for the ages, an example of how the classic novel --- such a rare thing --- is properly written.”

Joe also reviews THE REVERSAL, the latest Harry Bosch crime novel by Michael Connelly. Connelly brings back defense attorney Mickey Haller to team up with Bosch to get a recently freed killer back in prison where he belongs. Joe says this in his review: "Dividing the narrative between the two men --- Haller in the first person, Bosch in the third --- while uniting them in the pursuit of a common goal, Connelly creates what is certainly one of his most complex, challenging and interesting works to date." We also have an interview with Connelly where he discusses how his newspaper and journalism career continue to fuel his writing, among other things.

Another popular crime novelist is back this week, albeit posthumously. PAINTED LADIES is the latest Spenser novel from Robert B. Parker, who sadly passed away earlier this year, but left quite a legacy. We know you miss him and are glad to share this book with you. Our reviewer Tom Callahan says that PAINTED LADIES is “a Spenser book that builds with tension and foreboding right up until the end.”

Speaking of authors who we have lost, I was so sad to learn last Friday evening that Stephen J. Cannell had passed away. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times over the years and also heard him speak at a few conferences. He was the consummate gentleman who always made time to talk --- and listen --- to his fans. He also always was nattily dressed and coifed. Cannell was dyslexic and was a true crusader for those who were challenged by this disability. We will have a review of his book, THE PROSTITUTES' BALL, next week as it releases on October 12th.

A few weeks ago we featured Tatiana de Rosnay’s A SECRET KEPT in our One to Watch Author Spotlight to celebrate its September release. Now, we’re excited to bring you SARAH’S KEY, her bestselling U.S. debut. Three times just this week, I heard from friends who shared that they read SARAH’S KEY in one sitting. My favorite came from my friend Elllyn, who wrote me saying, “I read SARAH'S KEY at the end of August --- started it at 10AM while the kids and my husband rode on the rides at Hershey Park and kept reading until I finished it later in the afternoon --- it was fabulous.” Don’t you love when a book sweeps you away like that?

Tatiana lives in France, where she stages many of her novels and is considered one of Europe’s most successful novelists. Her success followed her across the Atlantic with SARAH’S KEY, a World War II story that spans across generations in a small French town. We have 20 paperback copies of SARAH’S KEY to give away to readers, so please enter by emailing Contests@bookreporter.com with your name, mailing address, and "SARAH'S KEY" in the subject line by Friday, October 15th at noon ET.

SARAH’S KEY is one of the Top 10 Discussion Books as voted upon by readers in our ReadingGroupGuides.com 10th Anniversary Contest. You can check out the full results of the contest here with more targeted lists beyond the ones you see this week for Top 10 Classics, Top 10 Memoirs/Biographies and Top 10 Young Adult/Kids Books to come throughout the fall.

Around the same time as we were spotlighting A SECRET KEPT, we were also featuring Francine Rivers’s HER DAUGHTER’S DREAM, the conclusion of her two-book Marta’s Legacy series that began with HER MOTHER’S HOPE earlier this year. We’re starting to receive some reader feedback about HER DAUGHTER’S DREAM, which you can read here. I read HER MOTHER’S HOPE and was touched by the relationships between mothers and daughters over the course of America’s history. I’m glad to see some of you feel the same way with HER DAUGHTER’S DREAM.

Last week, I mentioned that we underwent a big computer server switch here at the office. Unfortunately, this temporarily knocked down some of our site features. I am happy to share that our Word of Mouth section of the site is now working again after our move to a new server. The poll and question are back up, too, and we've decided to extend them another week to give everyone a chance to vote and answer. We share this information on our Facebook page as well, which you can join here. Keep up with our posts here.

I am spending part of the three-day weekend (we are closed Monday for Columbus Day as I think the staff can use a break between Labor Day and Thanksgiving) at New York Comic Con, which has grown into a huge event. It will be fun to attend a comics conference close to home. Cory and his pal Josh are going to be roaming the aisles of the show on Friday afternoon; it will be nice to share this part of my world with him. I am off on Wednesday to San Francisco for Bouchercon, the International Mystery Convention. I love this event, and the fact that it’s taking place in one of my favorite cities makes it all the more special. Lee Child and Laurie R. King are being honored, and thus it will be quite an event. I am looking forward to six hours of flying time each way to get some quality reading time in. If you are going to Bouchercon, drop me a note and let me know!

My older son, Greg, is very into geocaching, which my husband calls "Looking for Tupperware using the technology supplied by expensive government satellites." I call it a big scavenger hunt with technology guiding you. The events held in conjunction with meetups of geocachers are usually quite clever. In the spirit of 10-10-2010, this weekend Greg is celebrating this once-in-a-lifetime (unless you live another century) event with a 15-minute flashmob! He’s asking people in NY to meet up on 10-10-2010 at 10:10:10 AM, at Pier 45 near 10th Street and West Street. (It's the closest thing to 10th Avenue!) where he has organized a 15-minute event. Details can be found here. If you are a geocacher --- he tells me this is a hardcore geocacher thing --- check it out.

As many of you know, I am just crazy about the show "Mad Men". I learned this week that a librarian at the Battery Park City Public Library in New York has created a "Mad Men" reading list, culled from titles that are featured in the show. You can read more about it here.

Here’s wishing you a terrific week filled with some lush fall color and a book that keeps you turning the pages. Oh, and remember to keep the doors closed to little four-legged wild creatures.

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

 

PAINTED LADIES: A Spenser Novel by Robert B. Parker (Mystery)
Called upon by The Hammond Museum and art scholar Dr. Ashton Prince, Spenser agrees to provide protection during a ransom exchange for a stolen painting. But when things go wrong, the case gets personal. Convinced that Prince is more than just a ransom delivery boy, Spenser is drawn into a daring game of cat-and-mouse. Only this time, he might not make it out alive. Reviewed by Tom Callahan.
 

An Interview with Michael Connelly, Author of THE REVERSAL

America’s favorite inspector and its most brilliant legal mind are back in award-winning author Michael Connelly’s THE REVERSAL, which follows LAPD Detective Harry Bosch and defense attorney Mickey Haller as they reunite to stop a sadistic child killer in his tracks. In this interview, Connelly gives readers the scoop on his latest novel, explaining why Haller switches to the other side of the aisle and how his two protagonists are able to share the same stage. He speculates on whether Bosch and Haller will ever make it to the big screen, reveals the amount of research it takes to write a convincing legal thriller, and reflects on Bosch’s transformation since the series first began in 1992 --- and how many years his hero has left in him.

THE REVERSAL by Michael Connelly (Legal Thriller)
When DNA evidence releases convicted child killer Jason Jessup from prison, defense attorney Mickey Haller is recruited to prosecute the retrial. Convinced of his guilt, Haller agrees to take the case on one condition: that he can work with LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. Now, with the odds stacked against them, the pair must nail this sadistic murderer once and for all. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read a review of THE REVERSAL.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE REVERSAL.
-Click here to see the reading group guide for THE REVERSAL.
 

New Featured One to Watch Author: Tatiana de Rosnay, Author of SARAH’S KEY

Tatiana de Rosnay's U.S. debut, SARAH'S KEY, has been a bestseller since its 2007 release and a popular book club selection. The story of a journalist researching the events that unfolded in Paris 60 years previously --- during the Nazi occupation of a French town --- has become a worldwide favorite.

We have 20 copies of SARAH'S KEY to give away to readers who would like to read the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please send your name and mailing address to Contests@bookreporter.com with "SARAH'S KEY" in the subject line by Friday, October 15th at noon ET.

-Click here to read an excerpt from SARAH’S KEY.
-Click here to read Tatiana de Rosnay’s bio.
-Click here to see Tatiana de Rosnay’s backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for SARAH’S KEY.

More about SARAH'S KEY:
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a 10-year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.
 

CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER by Tom Franklin (October 5th): CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER is the story of two childhood friends whose lives change dramatically after one unforgettable night --- and how the events of that one evening will shape their lives until circumstances plunge them together again. The book opens in the ’70s as Mississippi is still grappling with the changes that civil rights actions forged a decade earlier. In a sleepy small town, Larry Ott, the son of white, lower middle-class parents, befriends Silas Jones, the son of a poor black single mother. They are fast friends who find camaraderie in one another. Then one night, Larry takes a woman on a date, and she is never seen again. Accusations fly. Larry becomes a pariah, and Silas moves on with his life to college where he is a star baseball player. Flash forward 20 years. Another woman goes missing, and all eyes are on Larry. Again accusations fly, but this time the friends find themselves going back to their respective pasts so they can move ahead to the future.

This book has strong, well-crafted characters who are flawed and imperfect, but will have you rooting for them. The rich descriptions of setting and place coupled with an honest and well-drawn plot make this a book you will both savor and remember.

-Click here to read a review of CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER.
 

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: John Lutz, Author of MISTER X

Suspense/thriller veteran John Lutz returns with MISTER X, his latest page-turning, spine-tingling novel that will keep you guessing until the final paragraphs. A detective reopens a cold case, and with it, the idle serial killer.

-Click here to read a second excerpt from MISTER X.
-Click here to read John Lutz’s bio.
-Click here to see John Lutz’s backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for MISTER X.
-Visit John Lutz's official website, www.JohnLutzOnline.com.
-Click here to see our finished copy winners.

More about MISTER X:
He mutilates his victims. Slices their throats. And carves an X into their flesh. Five years ago, he claimed the lives of six women. Then the killings abruptly stopped --- no one knows why. Ex-homicide detective Frank Quinn remembers. Which is why he’s shocked to see one of the dead women in his office. Actually, she’s the identical twin of the last victim, and she wants Quinn to find her sister’s murderer. But when the cold case heats up, it attracts the media spotlight --- and suddenly the killings start again…
 

Featured One to Watch Author: Liz Murray, Author of BREAKING NIGHT

Liz Murray's harrowing personal story, BREAKING NIGHT: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard, recounts her troubled childhood as her parents fought substance abuse problems that left Liz homeless for much of her teen years. Despite those odds, she still managed to graduate from Harvard and launch a successful career.

-Click here to read a third excerpt from BREAKING NIGHT.
-Click here to read Liz Murray’s bio.
-Click here to read critical praise for BREAKING NIGHT.
-Click here to watch Liz Murray discuss BREAKING NIGHT.
-Click here to see our finished copy winners.

More about BREAKING NIGHT:
In the vein of THE GLASS CASTLE, BREAKING NIGHT is the stunning memoir of a young woman who at age 15 was living on the streets, and who eventually made it into Harvard.

Liz Murray was born to loving but drug-addicted parents in the Bronx. In school she was taunted for her dirty clothing and lice-infested hair, eventually skipping so many classes that she was put into a girls' home. At age 15, Liz found herself on the streets when her family finally unraveled. When Liz's mother died of AIDS, she decided to take control of her own destiny and go back to high school, often completing her assignments in the hallways and subway stations where she slept. Liz squeezed four years of high school into two, while homeless; won a New York Times scholarship; and made it into the Ivy League.

BREAKING NIGHT is an unforgettable and beautifully written story of one young woman's indomitable spirit to survive and prevail, against all odds.
 

NEMESIS by Philip Roth (Fiction)
Philip Roth’s newest novel (following EVERYMAN, INDIGNATION and THE HUMBLING) is another study of a man facing death, but this time not his own. A young playground director in Newark helplessly witnesses his schoolboy charges fall to a polio outbreak against the backdrop of World War II. Reviewed by Max Falkowitz.
 

AT HOME: A Short History of a Private Life by Bill Bryson (Sociology)
Bill Bryson lives in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing has happened since the Romans decamped…until he decided to “write a history of the world without leaving home.” Taking readers on a journey through every room, Bryson creates a fascinating portrayal of the evolution of private life, demonstrating that whatever happens in the world winds up in our house. Reviewed by Roz Shea.

-Click here to read an excerpt from AT HOME.
 

October’s roundup of New in Paperback titles includes THE LOST SYMBOL, Dan Brown’s stunning sequel to THE DA VINCI CODE that follows Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon through a maze of Masonic secrets, hidden history and awe-inspiring locales as he tries to save his beloved mentor; NOT MY DAUGHTER, Barbara Delinsky’s gut-wrenching tale of a pregnancy pact between three teenagers that puts their mothers’ love to the ultimate test; SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT by Beth Hoffman, a laugh-out-loud debut novel about a 12-year-old orphan who discovers the power of female friendships; BOOK LUST TO GO, Nancy Pearl’s guide to literary globetrotting --- and a must-have manual for every bookworm; STONES INTO SCHOOLS, the dramatic and visionary follow-up to Greg Mortenson’s number-one bestseller, A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://bookreporter.pmailus.com/pmailweb/ct?d=aQABAAAF8AAEU6w">THREE CUPS OF TEA; and NOTES LEFT BEHIND, Brooke and Keith Desserich’s heartbreaking story of their six-year-old daughter’s battle with brain cancer, told through their journal entries and notes that Elena had hidden during her last months on earth.
 

This month on ReadingGroupGuides.com, we proudly present our Top 10 Discussion Books as voted upon in our summer-long 10th Anniversary Contest. We have also compiled lists for the Top 10 Classics, Top 10 Memoirs/Biographies, Top 10 Young Adult/Kids Books, and more. We have additional lists planned throughout the fall, so stay tuned. Click here to visit the results page and see our 50 lucky winners here.

The following guides are now available on ReadingGroupGuides.com:

BOUND by Antonya Nelson
BY NIGHTFALL by Michael Cunningham
CHEAP CABERNET: A Friendship by Cathie Beck
COMEDY IN A MINOR KEY by Hans Keilson
CONVERSATIONS WITH MYSELF by Nelson Mandela
THE DEBUTANTE by Kathleen Tessaro
DOORS OPEN by Ian Rankin
EATING ANIMALS by Jonathan Safran Foer
FALL OF GIANTS by Ken Follett
THE FALSE FRIEND by Myla Goldberg
FINNY by Justin Kramon
THE GIRL WHO FELL FROM THE SKY by Heidi W. Durrow
THE GOLDEN HUSTLA by Wahida Clark
THE GOOD SISTER by Drusilla Campbell
A HAPPY MARRIAGE by Rafael Yglesias
IN THE BELLY OF JONAH: A Liv Bergen Mystery by Sandra Brannan
THE LOTUS EATERS by Tatjana Soli
A LUCKY CHILD: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy by Thomas Buergenthal
MOLLY FOX'S BIRTHDAY by Deirdre Madden
THE NEXT QUEEN OF HEAVEN by Gregory Maguire
THE OTHER LIFE by Ellen Meister
THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE by Aimee Bender
THE RECIPE CLUB: A Tale of Food and Friendship by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel
THE REVERSAL by Michael Connelly
ROOM by Emma Donoghue
SAFE FROM THE SEA by Peter Geye
THE SECRETS SISTERS KEEP by Abby Drake
THE STRAY SOD COUNTRY by Patrick McCabe
TEARS OF PEARL by Tasha Alexander
TO THE END OF THE LAND by David Grossman
TRAVELING WITH POMEGRANATES: A Mother and Daughter Journey to the Sacred Places of Greece, Turkey, and France by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylorspan style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">
TWO CENTS PLAIN: My Brooklyn Boyhood by Martin Lemelman
UNDRESSING THE MOON by T. Greenwood
THE UNNAMED by Joshua Ferris
UP FROM THE BLUE by Susan Henderson
UPRISINGS FOR THE EARTH: Reconnecting Culture with Nature by Osprey Orielle Lake
THE WEEKEND by Bernhard Schlink
YOU KNOW WHEN THE MEN ARE GONE by Siobhan Fallon

Please note that this title, for which we already had the guide when it appeared in hardcover, is now available in paperback:

THE GIFT OF AN ORDINARY DAY by Katrina Kenison

The following new guides are now available for Christian book groups:

CATCHING MOONDROPS by Jennifer Erin Valent
FAITHFUL by Kim Cash Tate
FOR TIME AND ETERNITY: The Sister Wife Series, Book 1 by Allison Pittman
A HOPE UNDAUNTED: Winds of Change, Book 1 by Julie Lessman
THE HOUSE ON MALCOLM STREET by Leisha Kelly
MAKING WAVES: Lake Manawa Summers, Book 1 by Lorna Seilstad
A MEMORY BETWEEN US: Wings of Glory, Book 2 by Sarah Sundin
WHISPER ON THE WIND: The Great War Series, Book 2 by Maureen Lang
 

SANTA FE EDGE by Stuart Woods (Thriller)
Santa Fe attorney Ed Eagle has recovered from his encounters with Mexican organized crime and --- more treacherously --- his ex-wife, Barbara. Now a mysterious new client has come his way, one who may shed light into some dark corners of Ed's past...and put him in danger once more. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.

PORTOBELLO by Ruth Rendell (Fiction)
While walking through the streets of London’s Notting Hill, 50-year-old Eugene Wren discovers a discarded envelope filled with cash. He hatches a plan to find the rightful owner, taking the money for himself and posting a notice on Portobello Road. But when this ill-conceived act links him to other Londoners, volatile characters start walking into Wren’s life --- with consequences that will change them all. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE FALSE FRIEND by Myla Goldberg (Fiction)
Celia and Djuna were leaders of a mercurial clique of girls, but everything changed when they decided to walk home along a forbidden road. Djuna disappeared, and Celia blocked out what happened. Now a successful woman with a serious boyfriend, Celia returns home to confess the truth. But with no one willing to believe her, can Celia correct the past and save her relationship? Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

C by Tom McCarthy (Historical Fiction)
C is for elemental carbon --- the main building block of life --- and for caul, communication, carbon copy, cocaine and Carrefax. Seemingly endless possibilities abound for connections involving "C" in this peculiar and thoughtful novel, which has been shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize. Reviewed by Melanie Smith.

-Click here to see the reading group guide for C.

WARLORD: An Alex Hawke Novel by Ted Bell (Thriller)
Counterspy Alex Hawke has all but given up on life. The British-American MI6 counterterrorism operative lost the woman he loved almost a year ago and has sought refuge at the bottom of a rum bottle ever since. But late one night at his home on Bermuda, he receives a wake-up call…literally. In WARLORD, Hawke races to stop a madman hell-bent on murdering the British royal family. Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy.

VELOCITY by Alan Jacobson (Thriller)
When FBI profiler Karen Vail’s detective boyfriend disappears, there are no clues to his whereabouts --- aside from blood stains and tenuous connections to a vicious serial killer. Evidence suggests the killer is responsible, but just as Vail starts making progress, she gets sent back to Washington. She and covert operative Hector DeSantos must face a powerful foe that threatens her life and all she holds dear. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE MULLAH'S STORM by Thomas W. Young (Thriller)
When a transport plane carrying a Taliban detainee is shot down over the Hindu Kush, a blizzard makes rescue impossible. Now navigator Michael Parson and female Army interpreter Sergeant Gold are caught in a battle for survival on some of the most forbidding terrain on earth, facing not only the hazards of nature, but also the treacheries of man. Reviewed by Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE DEAD PATH by Stephen M. Irwin (Supernatural Thriller)
When Nicholas Close’s wife dies tragically, he returns to his native Australia hoping to escape the nightmare that is now his life. What he finds is an old town full of ghosts and an even more unwelcome evil lurking in the shrouded woods near his mother’s home. Reviewed by Amy Gwiazdowski.
 

Poll:

Approximately what percentage of the books you read appear --- or have appeared --- on bestseller lists?

Less than 25%
25%
50%
75%
More than 75%
I’m not sure.

-Click here to answer our poll.


Question:

What is the last book you read purely because you saw it on a bestseller list?

-Click here to answer our question.